Q36.5's Rory Townsend: Pidcock's raised the ceiling
Irish rider on how new signing and Olympic champion Tom Pidcock is changing the game at the Pro outfit
Classics specialist Rory Townsend didn’t have the year he wanted in 2024, but the Irishman is hungrier than ever despite the setbacks.
After years of racing on Conti teams, Townsend stepped up to the Pro tour in 2023 with Bolton Equities Black Spoke before joining Q36.5 last year. Now in his second year on Doug Ryder’s team, Townsend is reaping the benefits of an extra season’s experience under his belt, and buoyed by the team’s off-season recruitment and ambitious plans for 2025 — including the high-profile signing of Tom Pidcock.
Speaking at the team’s January training camp, he told us, “It’s obviously different coming back knowing everybody. All of us guys know each other a bit better, and understand how things operate, it’s really nice. When I came here last year it was a bit overwhelming: I hadn’t been at a team of this level of stature before, so seeing how the team operates, it’s really…